Despite the full heal they received from Shurry's magic, all level 7s had pushed themselves far beyond their own limits, resulting in total exhaustion. In other words, they were acquiring much needed rest… that also didn't stop others from waking them up with a splash of cold water to the face.
"Huh?! What happened?" Ilta rose from her rest taking a fighting stance…
"Relax, remember we told them to wake us up if we were still sleeping." Shakti said, holding her head and letting out a heavy sigh.
"Oh, right…"
"That's quite the reaction there, Ilta. You looked ready to pummel someone." Bokhoir laughed, splashing more water on his face.
"Can you blame me?"
"Yes. But it's not like we don't understand. That match was rough." Nernatti said in a half scolding tone. "My little brother is so strong! I'm so proud of him!" She added, now in a mushy tone, swaddling her staff.
"He really is strong. I couldn't even scratch him." Ilta said, plopping down on her butt. "It's almost like he hits me a little harder than you guys."
"Well, subconsciously he's still wrestling with what happened to him as a very young boy…" Nernatti explained.
"It's annoying cause I keep going down first."
"Don't worry about it too much, Ilta, none of us think you're weaker because of it. Others might, but not us." Bokhoir stated, as if to comfort her.
"Uhm, excuse me, Sir Bokhoir, what exactly happened to the Origin Wolf when he was younger?" Orba asked… it was a question all of the newer members were curious about as well.
Bokhoir crossed his arms, and let out a heavy sigh, shook his head, and then looked at each new member individually.
"If you wish to know, you should ask him yourself. All I can tell you is this: first it is one of the major driving forces behind his growth, second it's such a terrible thing that speaking of it is enough to make one vomit and swear vengeance against the perpetrators." He spoke in a serious, and measured tone. "Finally, Sir Leon actually witnessed the scene resulting from what happened, saving his life in the process."
"Another life saved, all in the day's work of a noble knight." Tsubaki said with her own type of rough giggle.
"Yeah, let's focus on the upcoming fight now. I'm eager to see what Leon is capable of now."
And as if on queue, the match which was now a 3 versus 1, turned into a hectic fight most of the onlookers could scarcely see, the sounds were a cacophony of explosions, implosions, bells, shouts, spells, and far less of the occasional helpful tips.
It was a demonstration of what the true capabilities of a level 8 were, the ability to improve without the need for pointers. In other words, the fight had taken a completely different turn.
Shurry dodged Zald's sword slash, and delivered a powerful back hand, while flipping through the air to dodge the invisible sound magic Alfia used, and would catch Leon's sword, and send him flying into the wall of the dungeon incredibly far away.
Zald would enter challenge distance once more, Alfia would use her magic for harassment attacks, and compressing the air just enough to give Leon, semi solid footholds within the air. Leon would run back into the fight with somersaulting slash, colliding against Shurry's light disk used as a shield.
Bouncing off the shield Leon flipped around, to manipulate his body into landing on his feet, then would charge back in to join Zald in the assault… which freed Alfia up to do far more of her magic, and provide her opportunities where she didn't really need to move.
And finally, after a solid hour of nonstop fighting with that intensity, Leon had finally reached his limits, however, he learned something important in the moment, he glowed with a full arc of shimmering light, and attacked with a full powered attack, everything he had left in him.
Shurry caught the attack in between the palms of his hands, the magnitude of this force was high, and despite the clear gap in strength, Leon managed to make Shurry slide backwards a couple of celches… then Leon immediately began to pass out, unable to sustain the power any longer than that.
"That was everything I had in me…" Leon said, falling as his body just gave up on him.
Shurry caught Leon in his arm. "That last attack was good, Uncle Leon. You managed to push me backwards a little bit. That makes you one of three people in the world who can do it."
"Thanks- you're really something else, Shurry…"
Shurry shifted Leon to support him by the shoulder as they walked back to the camp ground. Once there, Shurry sat Leon down, and personally got him a drink.
"Uncle, I'm only this strong now because you, and my dad came to rescue me when you did. I'd otherwise be dead. All of this strength I possess now is largely due in part to your efforts, the strong foundation you helped me to build is where this all began."
"Don't be so modest, Shurry. You're the one who put in the work, and all the effort. I simply showed you the way." Leon smiled, as his muscles twitched, and groaned lifting the seemingly infinite weight of the mug, he took a sip, and then smiled. "Besides, you showed me quite a few things as well, it went both ways. Now, go and show me what those two are able to do. They're holding back considerably."
Shurry smirked, and stood. "I'll do my best to push them as far as they can go." He said, and then leaped out of view.
"Uhm, sir Leon, did I hear right? Did you say they were holding back?"
"Oh they definitely are, and considerably as well. Just watch, though, you might not be able to see it… They are much faster than what you saw earlier." Leon said, taking another sip before dumping the mug of water over his head.
What happened over the next 8 hours was nothing short of insanity. Alfia and Zald were something else entirely compared to Leon. However, despite the change, they were still not fighting against a fully unleashed Shurry, he had held back considerably, for the fight's duration.